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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Purification of the Dendritic Filopodia-rich Fraction
Published on: May 2, 2019
Neuroligin 1 regulates spines and synaptic plasticity via LIMK1/cofilin-mediated actin reorganization
An Liu1, Zikai Zhou2, Rui Dang1
1The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Jiangsu Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
Abstract:
Neuroligin (NLG) 1 is important for synapse development and function, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. It is known that at least some aspects of NLG1 function are independent of the presynaptic neurexin, suggesting that the C-terminal domain (CTD) of NLG1 may be sufficient for synaptic regulation. In addition, NLG1 is subjected to activity-dependent proteolytic cleavage, generating a cytosolic CTD fragment, but the significance of this process remains unknown. In this study, we show that the CTD of NLG1 is sufficient to (a) enhance spine and synapse number, (b) modulate synaptic plasticity, and (c) exert these effects via its interaction with spine-associated Rap guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein and subsequent activation of LIM-domain protein kinase 1/cofilin-mediated actin reorganization. Our results provide a novel postsynaptic mechanism by which NLG1 regulates synapse development and function.
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